AAR Publications Catalogue — Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP) & Interchange Rules

Scope

The official online store of the Association of American Railroads, publisher of the Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP) and the Field/Office Manual of AAR Interchange Rules that govern freight car design, mechanical inspection, and interchange eligibility across the North American rail network. It is the primary mechanical/interchange standards source for railroads, car owners, and equipment manufacturers.

The AAR Publications Catalogue is the official online store of the Association of American Railroads, the industry body that publishes the Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP) and the Field and Office Manuals of AAR Interchange Rules governing freight car design, mechanical inspection and interchange eligibility across the North American rail network. The MSRP sets the mechanical design and performance standards a freight car must meet, while the Interchange Rules govern the conditions under which one railroad will accept another railroad's freight cars onto its own network -- a distinctly North American operating model in which cars routinely move across multiple railroads' networks during a single journey. The catalogue also offers circulars (updates and clarifications to existing rules), Open Top Loading Rules covering the securement of loads on open freight cars, and Intermodal Compliance publications addressing container and trailer interchange. Railroads, freight car owners (including leasing companies) and equipment manufacturers rely on these publications as the primary mechanical and interchange standards source for the North American freight rail network. Access to the publications is on a paid basis through the AAR's official online store.